In the handling of livestock, it is often necessary to control the movement of livestock in a pen, stall or chute. For example, when pigs are being moved, it might be necessary to prevent the passage of piglets but to allow the passage of mature pigs. This might done when mature pigs are being readied or loaded for transport to market. Or, one might wish to block the free passage of piglets around a pen or stall to stop the piglets from moving to allow them to be more easily picked up and handled.
A sorting paddle is a known implement that has been developed for use in accomplishing the above noted animal control and separating objectives. A typical sorting paddle comprises a long handle having an enlarged paddle head at one end. A user who is standing holds the handle and can position the paddle head adjacent the ground.
The user can insert the paddle head anywhere the user likes. For example, the user can insert the paddle head into a group of animals or can place the paddle head next to a single animal. The exact method of use depends upon the situation and the user's needs. The paddle head will block the passage of an animal within a pen, stall or chute. This allows the user to control the movement of a particular animal or to separate a particular animal from others.
The paddle head is usually made from a substantially rigid plastic and the paddle head is often hollow. Noise producing members, such as BB's, are often placed inside the hollow paddle head. These noise producing members will rattle and produce a noise as the paddle head is shaken or moved by the user. This noise also has an affect on the animal and can further help controls its movement.
However, sorting paddles are often not as effective on young or small animals as they are on older or mature animals of a particular species. This is particularly true for pigs. For example, piglets are very adept at squeezing through the types of gaps presented between the ground and the underside of conventionally shaped paddle heads on animal sorting paddles. Thus, there is a need in the art for a sorting paddle that can effectively block the passage of relatively young and/or small animals that have short legs, such as piglets.